1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device and method for packaging; especially, it relates to a device and method for orienting and achieving the optimal density of a quantity of elongated objects such as french-fried potato strips.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several patents have dealt with orienting and achieving the optimal density of a quantity of elongated objects such as french-fried potato strips.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,795 of David Shroyer has the strips deposited on an essentially horizontal conveyor belt. This conveyor belt then transports the elongated objects to a vibrating alignment container that has a curved rear wall and an angled front wall for substantially aligning the elongated objects.
To the previous patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,178 of David Shroyer basically adds a vibrating tube below the vibrating alignment container as a second portion of the alignment container. In the original portion of the alignment container, the elongated objects are vibrated while passing through the alignment container. In the tube, however, the elongated strips are retained while they are being vibrated.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,984 of Richard Farnsworth, Donald Deines, and Alvin Deines has the elongated objects deposited upon a cleated, inclined conveyor belt. On lines 12 through 14 of column 3, the patent asserts, "It is important to note that the conveyor belt should be configured at an acute angle . . . with respect to the vertical in order for the articles to be aligned on the conveyor flights." (The cleats are termed "flights.") In fact, however, the V-shaped space then created between the conveyor belt and the hopper which delivers the objects to the conveyor belt tends to result in breakage of fragile products such as french-fried potato strips. Moreover, elongated objects, having downward momentum as a result of the drop from the hopper to the conveyor belt, tend repeatedly to tumble end over end at the bottom of such an inclined conveyor because the elongated objects are much longer than the height of the flights; similarly, the upward momentum imparted by the inclined conveyor belt to the elongated objects often causes such objects to tumble end over end near the highest point of the inclined conveyor belt, i.e., where the elongated objects are discharged from the inclined conveyor belt.